PSG won Le Classique at the Vélodrome (2-1) after a game that completely burst into life in the second half. Marquinhos stepped up as captain, Ferran Torres struck again and Désiré Doué caused OM huge problems. But not every Paris player impressed. Here are PSG’s winners and losers.
The winners — Marquinhos, the captain who rescued Paris — Rating: 7.5/10. PSG needed a leader and Marquinhos delivered. Just after OM had equalised and the Vélodrome had come alive, the Brazilian immediately silenced Marseille. From a Nuno Mendes cross, De Lange initially saved his effort, but the Paris captain followed up to score at the second attempt. It was the decisive goal that handed PSG victory in Le Classique. Marquinhos was also solid defensively despite several dangerous Marseille attacks. Désiré Doué — Rating: 7.5/10. Starting on the right, the Frenchman constantly took on defenders and looked to create openings. He was rewarded in the second half with a perfect assist for Ferran Torres. A performance full of energy and personality in a fiery atmosphere.
Ferran Torres delivers again for PSG
Ferran Torres — Rating: 7.5/10. He did not even start the game. Introduced in the 57th minute in place of Kvaratskhelia, Torres needed only a few minutes to make the difference. His run was perfectly timed and his header from Doué’s delivery gave PSG the lead. It was his seventh goal of the season for Paris as the Spaniard continued his impressive start. Nuno Mendes — Rating: 7/10. The Portuguese gradually took control of his flank and became much more dangerous after the break. He was directly involved in PSG’s second goal with his cross for Marquinhos and also forced Timothy Weah’s dismissal, with the American receiving a second yellow card after pulling him back.
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The losers — Pacho — Rating: 5.5/10. The Ecuadorian defender had been fairly solid until his costly mistake for Marseille’s equaliser. Angel Gomes ran at him, cut inside and beat Safonov, leaving Pacho on the ground as OM made it 1-1. Fortunately for him, Marquinhos restored PSG’s lead almost immediately. Kvaratskhelia — Rating: 5.5/10. The Georgian never really managed to take control on his side. Closely watched, he showed a few flashes and nearly scored a superb goal after combining with Dembélé early in the second half. But Luis Enrique wanted more and replaced him in the 57th minute with Torres, who scored shortly afterwards.
Dembélé — Rating: 6/10. There were still positives in his performance. Dembélé moved well, tried to make things happen and produced several moments of technical quality. But he should have scored in the first half when a deflected cross left him completely unmarked with a header in front of an almost empty goal, only for him to miss the target. It was a huge opportunity that could have changed the game much earlier. In the end, Paris did not produce a dominant display at the Vélodrome, but they struck when it mattered most. And in Le Classique, that is what counts: PSG leave Marseille with a 2-1 victory. Also read: OM/PSG: Paris win 2-1, PSG player ratings; OM/PSG: the goals on video; OM/PSG: the winners and losers; OM/PSG: starting XI, Torres on the bench; OM/PSG: the predicted line-up according to the press; OM/PSG: the expected starting XI tonight.
